Gardeners' Notes:

This is one of my favorite palms - the pinnate are really something special. I am surprised that the Teddy Bear is relatively uncommon in Southwest Florida. I have not had the best of luck growing this palm but I attribute that primarily to 'operator error'.

There are several nice mature specimens in the front of the Arthrex building in Naples, FL (southwest corner of goodlette and immokalee roads)

If you're in southwest Florida you can see this palm growing quite well in a few palm gardens in Downtown Fort Myers. One garden is at MLK Blvd & Central Ave, and theres, an even older one at the palm park by the river at Edwards Dr & Lee St

I have Grown this both in Sydney and Brisbane, Doesn't do well in Full Sun when Young. I made this mistake and nearly killed it. Although it did come back in the end but unfort this particular plant died in Winter because we had a frost which is uncommon in Western Sydney. Although I am now in Brisbane and I have another one and this time I have started it in Shade and it is doing fantastic. And as we get no frost in my area due to the climate being border Tropical. Its new leafs are opening up and its Mid Winter.

Strong Merits for the Cool Fuzzy Teddy Bear Palm !! I have many, many, palms I have planted over the last years. On my couple acres in my back yard in Sunny South Florida. And this by far has been one of my favorites. Aside from being very handsome, unusual, with a beautiful impressive canopy. I could not ask for an easier palm and has been a fast grower. Bought it at The 2006 International Palm Show held every fall at Fairchild Tropical Gardens in South Miami, for under $20.00. I know this cause I limit myself not to be thrifty (although this doesn't hurt) but I find it is easier to then fill the back of my SUV with lots of great finds. It is just easier hauling,digging holes and finally planting. I would be safe to say mine is 15 feet tall with a trunk base of at least a foot thick. For... read more three years of growth in my yard alone, this bears a winner in my book. As a matter of fact I'm planting more. o_O

I've had a Teddy Bear palm planted for almost a year. it's growth rate is medium, will probably do better after it gets established in the ground. It has very attractive dark green leaves and a dark brown fuzzy crownshart.

This is one of the more exotic and unusual looking palms that can be grown in Southern California, though I personally haven't had much luck with it (very marginal in 9b). It survives for me, but never looks all that good. It is called the Teddy bear palm because its crownshaft has a thick red-brown tomentum that resembles a teddy bear's fuzz. A well grown palm is extremely attractive, also having a nearly white, ringed trunk and wonderfully drooping leaflets very closely spaced along long leaves. It is a slow palm for So Cal, but does very well in more tropical areas. It is often confused with Dypsis lastelliana, the red neck palm, which also has a fuzzy red crownshaft. The latter however is MUCH slower in So Cal, to the point hardly anyone even bothers trying it.. it does have attr... read moreactive sea-green petioles and a more upright habit of the crown... but it is very similar otherwise. D lastelliana is the more commonly grown species in the tropics since it's a more robust palm there, having a very thick white trunk and a redder crownshaft. Dypsis leptocheilos also tends to have a much longer crownshaft than D lastelliana, or at least the old leaf bases retain the brown fuzz a lot longer giving the effect of a longer crownshaft. Also, in many situations, D leptocheilos as shorter spaces between the trunks rings indicating slower growth (this for identification in the tropics, only... doesn't hold true in southern California). Dypsis leptocheilos also has a much sparser crown of leaves, with more of them being held horizontally. Both are great palms, though.